Yo-Yos.Net The one notable exception was that of a portrait of Louis XVI I, at age four, painted by Madame Viznee LeBrun. This is considered the most famous illustration of a child with a yo-yo from the 18th century. Satirical cartoons such as General Lafayette leading a procession of soldiers playing with yo-yos and Mirabeau with troops and yo-yos were of this period. Another humorous reference was in the 1793 (English) edition of "The Travels and surprising adventures of Baron Munchausen" where they were referred to as quizzes and the act of using them was called "quizzing". "The matrons, instead of their tongues, had other instruments to convey their ideas: each of them had three quizzes, one quiz pendant from the string that sewed up her mouth, and another quiz in either hand. When she wished to express her negative, she darted and recoiled the quizzes in her right and left hand; and when she desired to express her affirmative, she, nodding, made the quiz pendant from her mouth flow down and recoil again." When the toy was first introduced to North America is unknown.

The first documented reference in the United States to the toy was a patent in 1866 by James L. Haven and Charles Hettrick for a new and useful bandelore. It changed the construction of the yo-yo adding a central rivet to hold the two halves together which allowed the toy to be made out of metal. Clearly the toy was known in the United States prior to this but its popularity was unclear . Over the next fifty years several other patents were listed for variations of the toy. . The word yo-yo was introduced to America in 1916 in an article in the Scientific American Supplement titled "Filipino Toys". The article showed how to make a yo-yo and called the toy by this name. In 1928, Pedro Flores, a Filipino immigrant began manufacturing the toy as a "yo-yo" in the United St ates and the history of the modern yo-yo began. Flores did three very important things for the toy.

First he named the toy a "yo-yo" and although he had not coined the term himself, as this was the name for the toy from his native country, the Philippines, and it became a very popular term in the United States culture and among the press for describing the toy. Secondly, the Flores yo-yo had the string looped around the axle in place of being fixed or tied to the axle. This allowed for the yo-yo to spin at the end of the string opening up a new arena of yo-yo play. Finally and most importantly he introduced the yo-yo contest which was essential for the absolute craze that followed. Although the yo-yo had been around for centuries, it was the craze of the contest that made the yo-yo one of the most popular toys of the twentieth century. The demand for the toy was so great in 1929 that Popular Mechanics published an article on how to make a Filipino yo-yo. Flores trademarked the name "yo-yo" but Flores did not invent the yo-yo nor did he ever have a patent for the yo-yo as often is mistakenly written.

Flores actually produced yo-yos for only a very brie f period of time before he sold his yo-yo trademark and company to the Donald F. Duncan Company. Duncan at the time was a competitor for Flores but did not have the trademark rights to the yo-yo. Don Duncan was a genius in marketing, and once he had purchased the trademark rights from Flores, The Duncan Yo-Yo Company became the number one producer of yo-yos for the next thirty-five years, claiming 85% of the entire United States yo-yo market during this period of time. The annual appearance of the Duncan yo-yo man and his contests became a rights of passage for the youth of America during this period. Duncan's early success in promoting yo-yos was due, in large part, to his mastery of free publicity. He used the technique of combining contest campaigns with local newspaper subscription drives. The sponsoring newspapers benefited by requiring the entrants to sell subscriptions for contest eligibility. They in turn, provided free publicity and prizes. The technique was so successful that Duncan convinced William Randolph Hearst, the biggest newspaper magnate of the early 20th century, to use yo-yo contests to stimulate his circulation.

Some of Duncan's biggest campaigns in the '30s were in conjunction with cities that had Hearst controlled newspapers. Duncan also tapped into recognition surrounding celebrity exposure. Celebrities such as Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Baseball Hall-of-Famers Lou Gehrig and Hack Wilson were all photographed with yo-yos in hand. Paid promotions using popular movie icons such as "Our Gang," were used in the promotion of the "Gold Seal" and "O-boy" yo-yos. If a town was without a visible celebrity, public officials did nicely for publicity shots. Mayors, police chiefs, city health commissioners, all were recruited to promote local yo-yo campaigns. Duncan not only sold yo-yos in the United States but worldwide as well. Duncan was best known for their Gold seal tournament models and fixed string "o-boy" beginners models but over the decades they produced a variety of specialty yo-yos. The 30s were best known for their metal whistling yo-yos. They introduced their first light up yo-yo in 1950, which was also their first plastic yo-yo.

In 1958 the "Butterfly" was released, and although the design was originally patented over five decades before the release of the "Butterfly" the name has become synonymous with that design style. The mid 50s and early 60s were Duncan's biggest era for producing what are now considered some of their most collectible yo-yos, yo-yos with names like Litening, Rainbow, Chief, Suede, Day-Glo, Satellite, Champion, Luck-E-JADO, and Super Practice are highly coveted by collectors. In the early '60s Duncan employed 27 full time professional demonstrators. At the peak of its production the Duncan factory employed 640 and produced as many as 60,000 yo-yos per day and in 1962, 45 million sold in one year. Duncan may have ruined themselves in their own effective marketing. Their success with promoting the toy over four decades made the word "yo-yo" a household name. Challenges to Duncan's sole right to use the name "Yo-Yo" were made by Joe Radovan of the Royal Yo-Yo company.

Joe Radovan was one of Duncan's early original Filipino demonstrators. In 1937 he left Duncan and formed his own yo-yo company. In 1965, after a long court battle, Duncan was stripped of the yo-yo trademark protection by the courts which determined that the word "yo-yo" had become the generic name for the toy. Although the word "yo-yo" is no longer a registered trademark in the United States, in other countries such as Canada, the word "yo-yo" is still trademark protected. The loss of the trademark "Yo-Yo" was the straw that broke Duncan's back and later in 1965 America's most famous maker of Yo-Yos went bankrupt and closed their doors. With the loss of the support of the Duncan demonstrators few yo-yo contests were held from the mid-60s to the mid 80s. The yo-yo began to lose some of its previous glory in the United States as a cultural icon. Although the Duncan trademark was later bought by Flambeau and plastic Duncan yo-yos began to be produced again in 1969, the era of the yo-yo man demonstrator in America had passed.

For the rest of the world the yo-yo still retained its fad like status. Internationally yo-yos cont inued to be sold by the millions largely due to Coca-Cola / Russell promotions. From the late 1950s on ,with the exception of North America, Jack Russell made the word yo-yo almost synonymous with Coca Cola. Again the key to the success of yo-yo sales was the contest and through the Russell company they flourished making the Coca Cola / Russell yo-yo the most familiar yo-yo brand around the world. Although yo-yos still sold by the millions each year in the late 60s and 70s the poplar presence that it had previously as a cultural icon had diminished. The yo-yo did occasionally break into the national scene during this time period the most notable were political in nature. First in 1968 antiwar activist Abbie Hoffman pulled out a yo-yo and walked the dog while testifying before a congressional committee. He was found in contempt of court for his actions and this rates as the most severe reprimand resulting from the play of the yo-yo.

Later in 1974 at the height of "Watergate" President Richard Nixon visited Roy Acuff at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville Tenn. Roy Acuff was a legend at the "Opry" having preformed there for over 50 years and part of his trademark act was doing yo-yo tricks. President Nixon took a couple of throws on stage with Acuff and a photos of this were released by the major media. Political cartoonists had a field day with the event. Nixon signed the yo-yo and presented it to Acuff. Years later the yo-yo was sold at the Acuff estate auction for $16,029.00 making this the world record price ever paid for a yo-yo. For centuries the yo-yo had remained very similar in form and function. In the late 70s and early 80s many technological changes began to appear in the yo-yo. Tom Kuhn introduced the first take apart yo-yo the "No Jive 3 in 1". In a brilliant promotion of the new innovation Kuhn also produced at the time the world's largest yo-yo which was a super sized No Jive in all details.

All wood weighing in at 256 pounds with a 50 inch diameter it took a crane with a ¾ Dacron rope to operate the toy. The yo-yo made the 1981 "Guinness Book of World Records". Other companies were also off developing new designs in yo-yos such as Playmaxx weighted rim design and brass axle for longer spin times, In 1980 Mike Caffery patented an internal clutch mechanism which allowed for auto return of the yo-yo, and in 1984 it was released as the "Yomega the yo-yo with a brain". In the same year a little noticed promotional release in Sweden introduced the most significant change in yo-yo play since Flores introduced the looped string. The first ball bearing trans axle yo-yo was produced by Svenska Kullagerfabriken changing the way yo-yos would be played forever. Interestingly it would be over a decade later before the impact of this innovation would be fully recognized. On April, 12, 1985 on the space shuttle Discovery a yellow plastic Duncan Imperial became the first yo-yo in space.

The yo-yo was part of a experiment series "Toys in space" wher e the Duncan yo-yo joined on nine other toys on Space Shuttle Discovery's mission 51-D. Astronaut David Griggs had the honor of being the first person to play the yo-yo in outer space. The yo-yo made a sequel return to space on July 31, 1992 with the Shuttle Atlantis mission STS-46. Astronaut Jeffery Hoffman used the "high tech" yo-yo the SB-2 (Silver Bullet-2) to further demonstrate the effects of weightlessness on yo-yo play. The popularity of the yo-yo got a big boost in 1986 when comedian Tommy Smothers made his debut appearance as the "Yo-Yo Man" on the Johnny Carson show. This was followed by a Smothers Brothers Yo-Yo Man Instructional Video released in 1988 which reportedly sold over 200,000 copies.

Finally the yo-yo man made further appearances on the Smothers Brothers show in 1988 and 89 which also showed some of the legendary yo-yo demonstrators such as Dan Volk, Dale Myerberg, Barney Akers, and Bob Rule. In 1988 the newsletter Yo-Yo Times was first published by Stuart Crump. Yo-Yo times galvanized the yo-yo community and became the major source of yo-yo information for yo-yo enthusiasts. Yo-Yo times continues to be the longest running yo-yo periodical and certainly influenced the following surge in the yo-yo's popularity during the 1990's. The 1990s saw a resurgence of the yo-yo's popularity to highs never before seen. The "Return of the Yo-Yo" traveling show which featured the Duncan Family Collection toured the Untied States in the Taubman Malls during 1990-91 and reintroduced the yo-yo contests. Not only was interest in yo-yo play stimulated but interest in yo-yo collecting became trendy among players. Ultimately the biggest technological advance was the development of the trans axle.

Trans axles allowed for incredibly long spin times which opened the door to a level of yo-yo play previo usly thought impossible. The American Yo-Yo Association's world record sleep time for a fixed axle yo-yo was set in 1991 by Dale Oliver at 51 secs, currently the AYYA's trans axle sleep record is 13min 5 secs set by Rick Wyatt on 4/22/01 a shocking difference. Due largely to the efforts of Dale Oliver, the first modern world yo-yo championships were held in 1992 and his leadership also resulted in the formation of the American Yo-Yo Association in 1993. The first modern National Yo-Yo championships were held in Chico California in 1993 under the direction of Bob Maloney who later became the director of the National Yo-Yo museum in Chico. Yo-Yo competitions changed dramatically in 1996 when Alex Garcia won the first freestyle competition at US Nationals. Freestyle competition has now become an integral component for all National and International events.

Yo-Yo play continued to evolve with the introduction of "off string" tricks where the yo-yo is free from string attachments being used much like a diabolo. The most recent innovation in yo-yo play was the development of "Freehand" introduced by Steve Brown. The yo-yo is no longer attached to the finger but a counter weight is held in the hand allowing the entire yo-yo apparatus to leave the hand. The yo-yo is definitely a toy that has survived time and it will most certainly be a toy that will continue to be played centuries in the future. The British Association of Toy Retailers voted the Yo-Yo the "Craze of the Century" for the 20th century. The yo-yo was originally a Filipino jungle weapon. - jarmil havlicek's english blog jarmil havlicek's english blog The yo-yo was originally a Filipino jungle weapon.

homework 14-01-2010 yo-yo word supposedly meaning "come-come" or "return" historical records indicate that 16th century hunters in the philippines hid up in trees and used a rock tied to a long cord, up to 20 feet in lenght, to throw at wild animals beneath them. the weapon was able to be pulled up and thrown back down for multiple attempts at the prey. this gave rise to the widespread idea that the practise was the true forerunner of the yo-yo, but this is stretch of imaginatio and has no real basis in fact. Museum of Yo-Yo History It is believed that the yo-yo most likely originated in China. The first historical mention of the yo-yo, however, was from Greece in the year 500 B.C. These ancient toys were made out of wood, metal, or painted terra cotta disks and called just that, a disc. It was customary, when a child turned of age, to offer toys of their youth to certain gods. Due to the fragile nature of the material, it is presumed that the disks made of terra cotta (clay) were used for this purpose rather than for actual play.

A vase painting from this time period shows a Greek youth playing with a yo-yo. Such vases, as well as an actual terra cotta disk can be found in the National Museum of Athens, Greece. Even in ancient Egyptian temples, drawings of objects have been seen in the shape of yo-yos. Historical records indicate that 16th century hunters in the Philippines hid up in trees and used a rock tied to a long cord, up to 20 feet in length, to throw at wild animals beneath them. The weapon was able to be pulled up and thrown back down for multiple attempts at the prey. This gave rise to the widespread idea that the practice was the true forerunner of the yo-yo, but this is a stretch of imagination and has no real basis in fact. It is extremely likely, however, that the yo-yo did travel from China not only to Greece, but also to the Philippines, where the yo-yo is known to have been a popular toy for children over a very long period of time. The next historically dated mention of the yo-yo is a box from India made in the year 1765.

This miniature box was hand-painted with the picture of a girl in a red dress playing with her yo-yo. Within the next 25 years, the yo-yo traveled from the Orient to Europe, specifically to the aristocracy (upper class) of Scotland and France and on to England. As it traveled, it became known by a variety of names. In France, a painting dated to 1789 shows the 4 year-old, future King Louis XVII holding his lï¿½emigrette. It was during this time of the French Revolution and the ï¿½Reign of Terror,ï¿½ that many of the French aristocracy were forced to flee to Paris, Germany and across other borders when their style of life was threatened by the peasant uprisings, taking their popular yo-yos made of glass and ivory with them. Lï¿½emigrette is a French term meaning to ï¿½leave the country.ï¿½ Another nickname for the yo-yo at this time was de Coblenz, which was a city to which many French fled. These names reflect an important historical connection between the toy and the French Revolution.

The yo-yoï¿½s value as a stress reliever is also seen through history. While being a fashionable toy for the French nobility, those less fortunate are said to have played with their emigrettes to reduce the understandable tension of their one-way trip to the guillotine. Dating through the 1780ï¿½s, there are drawings of General Lafayette and others with their troops flinging their yo-yos. The yo-yo arrived in Paris in 1791 as it spread through France and was called the ï¿½joujou de Normandie.ï¿½ Some believe that this term may reflect possible roots for the modern American name of ï¿½yo-yo.ï¿½ High interest in the toy continued as evidenced by the famous French playwright, Beaumarchais, in his treatment of ï¿½The Marriage of Figaroï¿½ in 1792. There is a scene where the nervous Figaro enters and conveys his tension, not by the conventional wringing of his hands, but playing with his emigrette!

When asked what the emigrette is good for, Figaro responds, ï¿½It is a noble toy, which dispels the fatigue of thinking.ï¿½ Even on June 18, 1815, at the famous Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon and his army are known to have been seen relaxing with their yo-yos before battle. The yo-yo craze traveled throughout Europe to England by way of Scotland and France. The English used the French word bandalore, the term quiz, and the word incroyable which means ï¿½a French dandyï¿½, to identify the toy. In 1791, a print was circulated of the Prince of Wales, future George IV, whirling his bandalore. Because of the toyï¿½s popularity as well as the princeï¿½s power to sell, the toy also became known as the Prince of Walesï¿½ toy and soon became a toy that any person of fashion had to own. The toyï¿½s ongoing popularity in England is shown as late as 1862 when an illustration appeared showing two young lads terrifying an older woman with their quizzes.

The first recorded reference to any type of yo-yo in the United States was in 1866 when two men from Ohio received a patent for an invention called ï¿½an improved bandalore,ï¿½ in that it was rim weighted. One year later, a German immigrant named Charles Kirchof patented and manufactured the return wheel. From then until 1911, although various patents were awarded in the United States related to the yo-yo, nothing notable occurred. In 1916, the Scientific American Supplement published an article titled ï¿½Filipino Toysï¿½ which showed it and named it a yo-yo. This was explained by some as the Filipino word for ï¿½come-comeï¿½ or ï¿½to return.ï¿½ Significant events were soon to happen in the United States. Meanwhile, back in the Philippines, the natives were becoming experts at making and using the toy. They became excellent wood carvers of the yo-yo and playing with a yo-yo, beginning early in childhood, became a national pastime. Not surprisingly, it was from here that the yo-yo as we know it today was truly introduced into the United States.

In the 1920s, a man named Pedro Flores brought the first Filipino yo-yo to the U.S. and in 1928, began a yo-yo company by the same name in California. These yo-yos were hand-carved from a single piece of wood. The yo-yo was unique because it was the first yo-yo that did not have the string tied to the axle. Instead, the string was looped around the axle, allowing the yo-yo to spin or ï¿½sleepï¿½ at the end of the string. This concept is at the heart of yo-yoing today. Rather than being able to only go up and down, the yo-yo was now capable of doing an infinite number of tricks. In 1928 or 1929, a businessman named Donald F. Duncan Sr. saw his first Flores yo-yo while he was in San Francisco. He saw the potential of the toy as he witnessed the crowd that Pedro was able to draw by doing a few tricks. He purchased not only the idea of the yo-yo, but the Pedro Flores company itself.

And, as they say, ï¿½the rest is history.ï¿½ Donald Duncan was an excellent businessman. He developed advertising campaigns and had demonstrators working for him in the U.S., as well as Western Europe. ï¿½Duncan Yo-Yo Professionalsï¿½ traveled throughout the United States teaching and demonstrating yo-yo tricks and conducting contests in an effort to promote sales. Competition grew as other companies began to see the toyï¿½s potential. In 1932, in an effort to protect his interest, Duncan filed for and was assigned a trademark for the word ï¿½yo-yo.ï¿½ Not able to use the term ï¿½yo-yo,ï¿½ competitors were forced to use terms like ï¿½come-backï¿½, ï¿½returnï¿½, ï¿½returning topï¿½, ï¿½whirl-a-gigï¿½, and ï¿½twirlerï¿½ for their versions of the toy.

In 1946, the Duncan Company moved to Luck, Wisconsin, which quickly became known as the ï¿½Yo-Yo Capital of the Worldï¿½ producing 3,600 yo-yos per hour. They produced the original maple wooden yo-yos using 1,000,000 board feet per year. In 1960, plastic yo-yos that we still see today began to be manufactured. Sales grew and grew. By 1962, the Duncan Company alone sold a record 45 million yo-yos in a country with only 40 million kids, and still could not keep up with the demand. High television advertising expenses and excessive expenses in overtime wages and materials to keep up with the demand hurt profits. There was also the continual legal expense in trying to hold onto the trademarked word ï¿½yo-yo.ï¿½ Competitors fought hard to use it in describing their products. Finally, in 1965, the Federal Court of Appeals ruled that Duncanï¿½s trademark for the word ï¿½yo-yoï¿½ was no good.

The term yo-yo had become so widespread that it was now a permanent part of the language and it no longer only described the toy. It, in fact, WAS the toy. Tragically, in November of 1965, the Duncan Company could hold on no longer and was forced into bankruptcy. Although pieces of equipment were auctioned off to various buyers, Flambeau Plastics Company purchased the most valuable asset, the ï¿½Duncanï¿½ name and the goodwill that came along with it. It is the Flambeau Plastics Company that manufactures and sells the eleven different models of Duncan yo-yos today. June 6 has been deemed National Yo-Yo Day in honor of Donald Duncan Sr.ï¿½s birthday and the phenomenal influence he had in the world of yo. Trivia enthusiasts will enjoy noting that in 1968, Abbie Hoffman was cited for contempt of Congress for ï¿½walking the dogï¿½ in an effort to entertain the House Subcommittee on Un-American Activities that was investigating him and Richard Nixon made headlines when he yo-yoed on stage at the opening of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 1974.

The yo-yo is, indeed, universal. In recent years, technology has affected a multitude of the products we use, and the seemingly simple yo-yo has been no exception. Beginning in the 1970s, yo-yo manufacturers, seeing the benefit of periphery weight distribution, began rim-weighting their products for a longer spin. In 1978, Tom Kuhn patented the ï¿½No Jive 3-in-1ï¿½ yo-yo, the first take-apart by hand yo-yo and the first having a replaceable axle. In 1980, Michael Caffrey patented ï¿½The yo-yo with a Brain.ï¿½ In addition to a free-spinning sleeve bearing for long spin times, ï¿½The Brainï¿½ has a centrifugal spring loaded clutch mechanism that causes an automatic return of the yo-yo to the hand when the rotational spin slows to a pre-determined rate. And by the 1990s, transaxle yo-yos were available with ball-bearing axles, increasing spin times once again. But this is not quite the end of the story.

On April 12, 1985, the yo-yo was first taken into space by NASA on the Space Shuttle Discovery as part of the Toys in Space project. A basic spinning yo-yo was used to see what effect microgravity would have on it. What they discovered was that a yo-yo could be released at slow speeds and gracefully move along the string. However, the yo-yo refused to ï¿½sleep.ï¿½ Without the downward force of gravity, the yo-yo could not spin against the loop at the end of the string and so, rebounded up the string. It was also found that the yo-yo must be thrown, not dropped, as there was no gravity to pull it down. And on July 31, 1992, the yo-yo (an SB-2) again made its way into space, on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, this time for an educational video including slow-motion yo-ing. Whether the yo-yo was a Chinese, Greek or Filipino invention or some combination is difficult to prove.

By the same token, it is also difficult to say with certainty whether the toy spread from country to country or whether the same basic pattern for the toy appeared in completely different parts of the world for no obvious reason. We do know that its use as a toy around the world and throughout history is unmatched. And, although the yo-yo has gone through periods of hibernation in its trek through the ages, its popularity, just like the toy itself, always comes back. References: 1. World on a String, Helane Zeiger, 1989 2. The One and Only Yo-Yo Book, George Malko, 1978 3. The Mature Personï¿½s Guide to Kites, Yo-Yos, Frisbees and other Childlike Diversions, Paul Dickson, 1977 4. The Klutz Yo-Yo Book, John Cassidy, 1987 5. Toys in Space, Dr. Carolyn Sumners, 1992 6. Daily Life in Greece at the Time of Pericles, Robert Flaceliere 7.

American Scientist, ï¿½The Yo-Yo: A Toy Flywheelï¿½, March-April 1984, Wolfgang Burger 8. American Yo-Yo Association Newsletter, December 1994, ï¿½Pre-Duncan Yo-Yo Time Lineï¿½, Lucky Meisenheimer, MD Photo Credits: Yo-yos originally designed as weapons? - snopes.com Yo-yos originally designed as weapons? User Name 14 March 2008, 05:24 AM Bee Posts: n/a Yo-yos originally designed as weapons? I searched this message board and the ULRP and didn't find anything on this. There is a current Diet Mountain Dew commercial that claims yo-yos were originally designed to be weapons and shows a convenience store clerk and a would-be robber whacking each other with yo-yos. Not that I get my history from commercials, but I was curious about whether they had just made it up or might actually believe it to be true. (Or I suppose, though I doubted it, whether it actually was true.) Wikipedia says... not so much , but also acknowledges this as a common legend. I had never heard this one before.

Funny premise for a commercial, though. Bee Join Date: 21 June 2007 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 21,423 The way I got it was that in the island areas between Asia and Australia, a throwing rock would have a very long twine on it. It would either have appropriate bulges or a hole drilled through it, so the twine would not slip off. The hunter would be in a tree and wait for prey and then throw the stone - if it hits, great! If it doesn't, he can just pull the rock back up for the next victim, without having to climb down the tree to fetch the rock. And somehow that gave rise to the yo-yo. A Turtle Named Mack Join Date: 04 November 2005 Location: Borlï¿½nge, Sweden Posts: 11,580 Wasn't one used as a weapon in Octopussy?

(sorry, no octupus slap icon) Troberg 14 March 2008, 12:54 PM charlie23 Posts: n/a The Phillippine myth is that "around 1500" the islanders used a stone attached to a twine as Mack says, but it's pretty widely disputed and in any case a 4 lb. rock on a string probably wouldn't return to the user under it's own power like a yo-yo does. In my book that means it isn't a yo-yo. Still, according to This Site the toy was brought to America in the 1920's by a Filipino named Pedro Flores. (Other information indicates that the toy was already in use in America, but he was the first to commercially produce them there). Anyway, the toy version apparently dates back at least as far as 500 B.C. in Greece, prior to Filipinos tossing rocks on strings out of the trees.

Join Date: 04 November 2005 Location: Borlï¿½nge, Sweden Posts: 11,580 I failt to see why it would be useful to put a rock on a string in order to retrieve it. A rock hardly represents the pinnacle of technical sofistication nor a huge investment in work. Throw it, if you find it, pick it up again, if not pick up another one. Add to that that such a string, especially in a forest, would seriously mess up the ballistics of this primitive missile. The only reason I can think of to tie a string to it is to put a tail on it to give it a better trajectory and make sure it hits with the right side first, but that would be a shorter string. Quote: Anyway, the toy version apparently dates back at least as far as 500 B.C. in Greece, prior to Filipinos tossing rocks on strings out of the trees. I would say that it's probably also related to the diabolo ( ).

Troberg Join Date: 22 September 2000 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 26,843 There is (supposedly?) an improvised weapon called "The Sheriff's Punch," which consists of a weight on a thong. You throw the weight, and, if you miss, or if you want to repeat the attack, you pull it right back to your fist and throw again. Also, the bola comes to mind. A weight on a string is difficult to learn to use -- but once you get good at it, you can be a deadly opponent. Just ask the Balearic slingers. Silas (or Thor's hammer from the Marvel comic books...) Silas Sparkhammer Quote: Originally Posted by Troberg I failt to see why it would be useful to put a rock on a string in order to retrieve it. A rock hardly represents the pinnacle of technical sofistication nor a huge investment in work. Throw it, if you find it, pick it up again, if not pick up another one. Add to that that such a string, especially in a forest, would seriously mess up the ballistics of this primitive missile.

The only reason I can think of to tie a string to it is to put a tail on it to give it a better trajectory and make sure it hits with the right side first, but that would be a shorter string. I would say that it's probably also related to the diabolo ( ). The idea is that you climb a tree near a trail used by game (boars?). If you miss, you can pull up the rock and try again. This eliminates the need to climb a tree with multiple rocks or to climb down to retrieve the rock while the (now angrey) boar may still be nearby. Whether or not it was actually use, the principle makes sense, if you hunted by throwing rocks from a tree. Personally, I think that using a spear may get better results. DemonWolf Quote: Originally Posted by charlie23 I get this mental picture of some guy spending days drilling a hole in a rock so he can tie a string on it so he dosen't have to climb down out of the tree after he misses the pig that he just tried to drop it on.

Meanwhile, the rest of the folks in his village are laughing their butts off while feasting on the pig they caught with a snare or shot with those newgangled arrows. Personally, I'd just pick a rock with a shape that allow me to just tie the damned string without much alteration to the stone. DemonWolf Originally Posted by Troberg Why throw it, why not swing it? That would give it more speed and impact. Well, here is how it was described: say a policeman is questioning you....or a robber is demanding money from you. He's standing in front of you, face-to-face with you. He hasn't drawn his gun. And he's just too far away for you to hit him. The "sheriff's punch" (in theory; I sure don't want to try this!) let's you "shove" the weight forward, much as if you were making a straight jab in boxing. The weight leaves your hand and goes forward those extra few inches beyond your reach, hitting the guy in the chest and stunning him for a moment.

The thong lets you yank the weight back and repeat the procedure, or you can now swing it, or try to entangle his gun-arm or a leg, or -- well, at this point there is no "scientific" martial art to cover your options! Or...maybe it's like a brass-catcher bag over the ejection port of an automatic pistol: it's there to prevent one from littering! Silas Who Invented the YoYo? - Its History By Mary Bellis Updated August 10, 2016. D.F. Duncan Sr. was the co-patent holder of a four-wheel hydraulic automobile brake and the marketer of the first successful parking meter. He was also the genius behind the first premium incentive where you sent in two cereal box tops and received a toy rocket ship. However, Duncan is best known for being responsible for promoting the first great yoyo fad in the United States. History Duncan was not the inventor of the yoyo; they have been around for over twenty-five hundred years. In fact the yoyo or yo-yo is considered the second oldest toy in history, the oldest being the doll. In ancient Greece, the toy was made of wood, metal and terra cotta.

The Greeks decorated the two halves of the yoyo with pictures of their gods. As a right of passage into adulthood Greek children often gave up their toys and placed them on the family alter to pay homage. Around 1800, the yoyo moved into Europe from the Orient. The British called the yoyo the bandalore, quiz or the Prince of Wales toy. continue reading below our video 5 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score The French used the name incroyable or l'emigrette. However, it is a Tagalog word, the native language of the Philippines, and means "come back". In the Philippines, the yoyo was used as a weapon for over 400 hundred years. Their version was large with sharp edges and studs and attached to thick twenty-foot ropes for flinging at enemies or prey. Pedro Flores People in the United States started playing with the British bandalore or yoyo in the 1860s. It was not until the 1920s that Americans first heard the word yoyo. Pedro Flores , a Philippine immigrant, began manufacturing a toy labeled with that name.

Flores became the first person to mass-produce toy yoyos, at his small toy factory located in California. Donald Duncan Duncan saw the Flores toy, liked it, bought the rights from Flores in 1929, and then trademarked the name Yo-Yo. Duncan's first contribution to yoyo technology was the slip string, consisting of a sliding loop around the axle instead of a knot. With this revolutionary improvement, the yoyo could do a trick called "sleep" for the first time. The original shape, first introduced to the United States was the imperial or standard shape. Duncan introduced the butterfly shape, a design that reverses the halves of a traditional imperial yoyo. The butterfly allowed the player to catch the yoyo on the string easily, good for certain tricks. Donald Duncan also worked out a deal with the newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst to get free advertising in Heart's newspapers. In exchange, Duncan held competitions and the entrants were required to bring a quantity of new subscriptions for the newspaper as their entry fee. The first Duncan Yo-Yo was the O-Boy Yo-Yo Top, the toy with a big kick for all ages.

Duncan's massive factory produced 3,600 of the toys every hour making the factory's hometown of Luck, Wisconsin the YoYo Capital of the World. Duncan's early media blitzes were so successful that in Philadelphia alone, three million units sold during a month-long campaign in 1931. In general, yoyo sales went up and down as often as the toy. One story tells how after a market dip in the 1930's the Lego company was stuck with a huge inventory, they salvaged the unsold toys by sawing each yoyo in half, using them as wheels on toy trucks and cars. Yoyo sales reached its highest peak in 1962, when Duncan Yo-Yo sold 45 million units. Unfortunately, this 1962 hike in sales led to the end of Donald Duncan's Company. Advertising and production costs far outstripped even the sudden increase in sales revenues. Since 1936, Duncan experimented with parking meters as a sideline. Over the years, the parking meter division grew to become Duncan's main moneymaker.

This and bankruptcy made it easier for Duncan to finally cut the strings and sell his interest in the yoyo.The Flambeau Plastic Company bought the name Duncan and all the company's trademarks, they began producing their line of all plastic yoyos soon after. The yoyo continues today, its latest honor is being the first toy in outer space. History of the Yo-yo | YoYo Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia History of the Yo-yo Share Although the yo-yo is an undeniably ancient toy there is no proof that it is the second oldest toy as claimed. However, very few records remain about its origins due to the fact people in the past have not considered yo-yos worth writing about. Contents [ show ] Origins The origin of the yo-yo is still under argument, but documentaries that have been made show that it came from Greece. It is rumored that it was used as a weapon for hunting game or other land animals. Although physics may prove the use of the yo-yo as a hunting tool to be ineffective, the concept of being able to retry a missed throw of an object was still an amazing feat. But people still have, to this day, believed it to be a weapon.

The yo-yos was actually first made by the Duncan yo-yo demonstrators in the 1930s and the yo-yo today is now considered a weapon due to the Duncan brothers making up the rumor of it being a weapon, this was done as a marketing strategy. Since the time of the Duncan brothers' making of the rumor, people have tried to use it as a weapon but in all cases it has failed. The rumor still stands today and many people still believe but it in fact isn't more than a child's toy. 1000 BC - Chinese origins Some historians believe the yo-yo originated in China in approximately 1000 BC. Although there are no formal records of the yo-yo, there is proof that the diabolo, a toy that is part-yoyo, part-top was developed in China which has much in common. Some records claim that the word 'yo-yo' came from the word 'come-come' in the ancient version of Tagalog, a Filipino language. Some linguistic experts say that the name 'yo-yo' is Oriental in origin, supporting the theory that China was the birthplace of the yo-yo.

500 BC - Greek yo-yos The first historical document featuring a yo-yo-like device was in Greece dated to 500 BC, and so some historians argue that the Greeks invented the yo-yo. These feature Greek discs which are arguably similar to a yo-yo which can be seen in Greek museums, such as the museum of Athens. Some historians argue that these were used for spools for thread or hanging drapes due to the fact the discs were ceramic which could break during play. There is, however, a painting found on a Greek vase with what appears to be a boy playing with a yo-yo, that may support the use of these discs as play [1] . 16th Century AD - Philippines It is noted in a 1916 newspaper article that colonizing Spaniards introduced the spin top to the local tribes when trying to describe the shape of the Earth and how it rotates in space. During those times, yo-yos were traditionally handmade from caribou (Filipino Water Buffalo) horn. [2] 1700s AD - Europe Yo-yos became very popular in Europe in the late 18th century, having probably arrived there via India.

It enjoyed popularity with the French nobility, with many famous people having used them. It is worth noting that the yo-yoers in this time period are recorded as being adults, who referred the yo-yo as a 'Bandalore' or a 'Quiz'. In 1791, the Swedish Enlightenment writer Johan Henric Kellgren mentions the yo-yo as 'joujou de Normandie' in the poem "Dumboms leverne" . Kellgren places its invention roughly around the middle of the century. The French word 'joujou', possibly derived from 'jouer', to play, thus appears in Europe roughly 170 years before it was supposedly imported from the Philippines. 1860s AD - United States A patent in 1866 by James L. Haven and Charles Hettrick showed a new way of making a yo-yo using a central rivet to hold the two halves together, enabling the first metal yo-yos to be created.

This patent demonstrates that there were yo-yos in the USA before this, but those were referred to as 'Whirligigs' or 'Bandelores.' In 1867, Charles Kirchhof (a German immigrant living in the USA) patented and manufactured a yo-yo-like toy that he referred to as a "return-wheel", although he did not manage to sell a great number. Some other patents include edible bandelores that can be eaten, except for the string, of course. 1910s AD - United States In 1916, an article in the December issue of the El Paso Herald describing how the Philippine School of Arts and Trades would distribute their mass-produced goods (yo-yos among them) to American children, represented the earliest use of the term in the USA. This is referenced in a famous trademark battle from 1929-1932. [3] The same year, an article was published in the Scientific American Supplement with the title of "Filipino toys", which showed how to make a yo-yo.

1920s AD - United States - Pedro Flores In 1928, Pedro Flores started selling yo-yos under the name "yo-yos", the name used in the Philippines. He called his business the Yo-yo Manufacturing Company which operated in Santa Barbara. Pedro trademarked the term 'yo-yo' and used the refined Philippine design of the yo-yo, by looping the string around the axle instead of tying it as it was done previously [4] . In doing this, he introduced America to the fundamental yo-yo trick, the sleeper . Pedro Flores printed "patent applied" and "patent pending" on many of his yo-yos, despite him not possessing any actual patent on his products, presumably to discourage other toy manufacturers from producing yo-yos. Due to the number of new possibilities for tricks, Pedro had also set up competitions to demonstrate the new tricks that could be done. However, his competitions were quite different from modern yo-yo contests, as these competitions were more about endurance than trick complexity. The winner was the yo-yoer who could keep the yo-yo moving up and down without missing.

This resulted in some competitions lasting a very long time, with two experienced yo-yoers not giving up, resulting in the winner being selected by drawing straws. These competitions also featured contests of who could throw their yo-yo the furthest with it returning fully and who could do the greatest number of perfect spins during five minutes. The July 1929 issue of Popular Mechanics features an Amateur Mechanics section on how to make a yo-yo. [5] 1930s AD - United States - Duncan Around 1930, businessman Donald F. Duncan bought out Flores and so obtained the rights to the trademark "yo-yo". The precise date is uncertain but the "Yo-Yo" trademark was transferred in 1932. Other yo-yo companies during this period had to use terms such as 'return tops', 'whirl-a-gigs' or 'twirlers'. Duncan quickly acquired the largest share of the yo-yo market, with 85% of all yo-yos sold in this period being produced by Duncan.

1960s - United States - Yo-yo term loses trademark In 1965, Duncan got into a legal battle over the use of the term 'yo-yo' with Royal , resulting in the court ruling that the term had become generic and so it could be not trademarked. As a result of the cost of fighting the lawsuit, as well as an expensive investment in the means to produce plastic yo-yos, Duncan became bankrupt and its assets were sold, including its products and goodwill to Flambeau Plastics Company , which now produces Duncan yo-yos [6] . The Duncan equipment would go to Strombecker Toys , which produced yo-yos under the Medalist name for a number of years. 1980s - Technological innovations In 1980, Mike Caffrey applied for a patent on an auto-return mechanism for a yo-yo that consisting of several different embodiments for an internal clutch. This US patent (#4,332,102) was issued to Caffrey on June 1, 1982. The first commercially available yo-yo based on this mechanism was the Yomega Brain in 1984 [7] .

There exists an interesting story pertaining to the development of the first auto-returning prototype. Caffrey hired engineer, Bill Lakin, to develop a working prototype around his pending patent. That first prototype's design was seriously flawed, as the central spool was so large that virtually no wound-up string engaged the parallel, internal yo-yo halves. When this prototype was thrown, the clutch would open just inches from the player's hand, then would proceed to fall without imparting any additional rotational force upon the yo-yo. Caffrey devised an ingenious "work around" to test the viability of the clutch; he made an 11' string that DID fill the spool and engage the internal parallel faces. Caffrey threw this modified yo-yo from the roof of his father's house in Tucson, AZ. Not only did this long string get the yo-yo prototype rotating, the clutch closed at the proper time, returning the yo-yo more than 5' up the string. Lakin designed a second prototype with the right-sized central spool. Yomega's original Brain Yo-Yo was developed around that second prototype.

In 1981, Duncan released their World Class yo-yo, which featured a couple of innovations, one of which would one day become standard. The World Class' axle featured a special coating that, when combined with scientifically rim-weight Inertia Rings, allowed it to spin longer than anything else and even setting a former Guiness World Record for the longest-spinning yo-yo. In 1984, the first ball bearing yo-yo was produced by Svenska Kullagerfabriken (SKF) in a promotion, marking the beginning of a huge change to yo-yo design. However, the effect of this innovation would not be appreciated for about 10 years. The same year, Tom Kuhn introduced the Silver Bullet , the first yo-yo to feature a full-metal body machined from aluminum. On April 12th, 1985, a yellow plastic Duncan Imperial became the first yo-yo in space, as part of a series of experiments called "Toys in Space", where various toys were tested to see how weightlessness affects them.

Originally, a Tom Kuhn No Jive 3-in-1 was to be the first yo-yo in the experiments, but it was rejected for not meeting fire safety requirements. In 1989, Yomega releases the Fireball , which featured a plastic transaxle sleeve over a metal axle, allowing it to spin three times longer than a standard fixed axle yo-yo. This yo-yo would come to be one of the most popular in the 1990s. 1990s - Playing Styles and Competitions In 1992, the first World Yo-Yo Championships were held, and the contest itself included true freestyle. After this, freestyles became a major part of yo-yo competitions. In 1996, the first USA yo-yo event with a freestyle was held at the US National Yo-Yo Contest . A number of new yo-yoing styles were created in the 1990s. The most prominent of these are freehand and offstring .

Question: Which toy was originally a Filipino jungle weapon?
Answer: The yo-yo